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British Land and Drake Circus stories

They said the landlord had been “exceptionally helpful” but described the new lease terms as “too onerous”.

Property giant British Land paid £67million for the huge block of Plymouth city centre shops which includes the Debenhams and House of Fraser department stores, in 2016.

The Tozers also said that redevelopment plans for the area meant they “could not take the risks involved”.

Hush was a popular destination in Plymouth's Old Town Street until trade dipped (Image: Tim Tozer)

How the former Hush cafe now looks, after being closed (Image: Penny Cross)

A £27million plan, dubbed Better Places Plymouth, has been announced by the council to transform the look and feel of the city centre’s main thoroughfares with water features, play equipment and on-street retailing.

The Tozers were unable to wait to see this realised and wrote: “The last couple of years have been challenging for us, to say the least.”

They cited the “loss of the bus station, the Post Office, the council offices and the general decline in office workers” and said: “It’s just no longer possible for us to continue trading”.

Gone but not forgotten: closed Old Town Street businesses

The cafe Hush is not the only business to have closed in Plymouth city centre's Old Town Street. Here are three other casualties:

Saltrock Surfwear - The Plymouth branch of the fashion chain (pictured) was among five that closed, with 29 staff losing their jobs, after the firm went into administration and was instantly taken over by the national Crew Clothing Co Group. Saltrock was started in the 1980s but taken over by Plymouth Argyle's departing chairman James Brent's company in 2012.

Les Jardins de Bagatelle - After more than two decades as Plymouth's famous continental cafe, the business, which specialised in coffee for the connoisseur, closed suddenly in 2014. It is credited for pioneering outside seating, and therefor so-called 'cafe culture'. When it opened it was the only coffee emporium in the Drake Circus mall area, but by the time it shut there were more than 10 within a few hundred yards. The business featured in a novel, A Prize To Die For, by Plymouth author Jon McKnight. The unit is still empty.

Veneziana - This Italian themed restaurant also shut without warning, this time in 2013, after being open for about three years. It received mixed reviews on TripAdvisor but is thought to have been competed out of business by the arrival of nearby chain restaurants such as Nando's. The unit is also still vacant.

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The letter continued: “Being an independent coffee shop on the high street nowadays is tough, very tough.

“The council rates alone are crippling.

“We have exhausted all possible scenarios to keep the doors open but it’s just not meant to be.”

The couple praised their “wonderful” staff and customers and wrote: “We’ll miss you sorely. Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives for the past 20 years and for all the good times shared along the way. We’ve loved every minute of it.”